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Sirhan Bushara Sirhan who was convicted Robert F. Kennedy‘s 1968 murder, is “in disbelief” after it was granted probation on Friday.
More than 52 years after his death sentence (which was commuted to life imprisonment by the death penalty in California), the 77-year-old’s 16th application for parole was approved by a two-person panel. “He’s happy. He’s just trying to process it,” Sirhan’s attorney Angela Berry told PEOPLE.
Though six of Kennedy’s children rejected the decision, Sirhan’s case was supported by two of the late Senator’s sons, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Douglas Kennedy. Sirhan and Robert Jr. with in December 2017 before the 50th anniversary of his father’s murder. “They talked for about three hours and Robert Kennedy has come out about his support for Sirhan over the years,” recalls Berry.
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“The two sat together. They were holding hands. I mean, they were face to face. Sirhan was crying. Robert Jr. accepted his apology. … story than what came out in the process and that there might be a second shooter, and he’s been on Sirhan’s side ever since. “
The support from Douglas, who was still a toddler when his father died in 1968, came as a welcome surprise to Sirhan as he and Berry were notified the day before the hearing that Kennedy’s youngest son was about to appear.
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“I’m just overwhelmed by to be able to see Mr. Sirhan face to faceDouglas said in the virtual hearing, according to the Associated Press. “I think I’ve lived my life in fear of both him and his name in one way or another. And today I am grateful to see him as a person who deserves compassion and love. “
Although Berry says that Robert Jr. thought Douglas would also support Sirhan’s parole, she adds that his statement was “kind of a wild card” as he was “not part of that discourse at all”.
“I think it was very encouraging for Sirhan to hear that Douglas saw Kennedy as being human and deserving of redemption and release because of his rehabilitation,” explains Berry.
After Sirhan’s parole was approved on Friday, the rest of the parole board have 90 days to review a transcript of the hearing and make a recommendation to Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom, currently facing a dismissal on Sept. 14, has 30 days to decide whether to uphold or not.
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“The law says if someone is no longer a threat to society, they must be released,” says Barry. “So if we obey the law, the governor should go along with it.”
Under a new directive by Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, parole is presumption, which means that a prisoner cannot be refused parole unless it is determined that he poses a current threat to society. “It really gave the board no choice but to issue or make an aptitude test,” says Berry.
“And that’s what we’ve been focusing on, all of the positive programs he’s done over the past 52 years, but especially the last five years since he was last turned down,” she adds.
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In addition, Sirhan is entitled to Parole of juvenile offenders, which came into force in its current form in January 2018 and applies to prisoners who were under 26 years old at the time of the offense (Sirhan was 24 years old). He also qualifies for that Elderly probation program, which was changed last September to apply to inmates over the age of 50 who have been incarcerated for at least 20 years.
“He has many physical ailments related to his age and these became relevant to these deliberations on the release of older prisoners,” explains Berry. “And honestly, it’s not fair to taxpayers to treat someone with all these diseases, especially when they are no longer a risk to society.”
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Senator Kennedy, who served as the 64th attorney general before he was elected New York representative to the US Senate, was fatally wounded in a shooting on the night of June 4, 1968. After winning the presidential primaries in California and South Dakota that day, he was shot dead in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while leaving a campaign event in the hotel ballroom.
After a Evening journal Kennedy reportedly died at “1:44 p.m. PDT, just over 25 hours after the attack”. He was 42.
Sirhan was found guilty of first degree murder in 1969 and sentenced to death. However, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment three years later when the California Supreme Court banned the death penalty.
“I would never put me in danger again, “Sirhan said during the hearing on Friday, according to the AP.” You have my promise. I will always pay attention to security, peace and non-violence. “
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